Tool for making electrical connectors



April 12, 1949. F. DEUSCHLE TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1945 mull-Him 7%? 7i fay/f4.

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2 27 Z a 7d INVENTOR. f'l fz Deas A/e j A TTOR EY A ril 12, 1949. F.DEUSCHLE IOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CCNNECTORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJan. 2'7, 1945 u e o h v. E. N 0 T A F. DEUSCHLE TOOL FOR MAKINGELECTRICAL CONNECTORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 27, 1945 atenteoi Apr.12,1949

. UNITED f STATE: PATENT oFF cs TOOL FOIggIAwKEIEgOEBLSECTBFCAL FritzDeuschle, Martinsvill'e, N. 1., assignor to I Buchanan ElectricalProducts-orporation, a I corporation of New Jersey Applicationilanuary21, 1945, Serial No. 574,911

An object of the invention is to provide a tool which will in oneoperation thereof produce an improved connector assembly in which thecable is not only in secure and integral locking union with the sleevebut also in which the insulating material of the cable is utilized toform a moisture proof seal barring entrance of corroding agents into thejoint, thereby contributing markediy to the permanence of the lockjoint.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

The principles and features of the invention will be defined in theclaim ultimately appended hereto and will be illustrated and describedin 1 Claim. (01. Bio -113) the following description taken inconjunction with the annexed drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinalsectional view of a connector assembly prior to the locking and sealingof the electrical cable with the terminal sleeve or sheath,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 after said lockingand sealing inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2A is a top view looking in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectionalview on line l--4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of oneform of tool for making the connector assembly, with the parts in oneposition of limited movement,

Fig. 5A is a section on line 5A5A of Fig. 5, Fig. 6 is a longitudinalview, partly in section, of the tool illustrated in Fig. 5, with theparts in another position of limited movement,

Fig. 6A is a section on line liA-6A of Fig. 6, Fig. 7 is an elevationalsectional view showing the die holder, dies and ring member (togetherwith fragmentaryviews of means for effecting relative motion of the ringand die holder) of a tool in accordance with the invention and with theparts in one position of limited movement,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. '7, Fig. 9 is asideelevational view corresponding to Fig. 7 with the parts in anotherposition of limited movement,

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 11 is a viewanalogous to Figs. 8 and 10 showing however a connector assembly inoperative position in the tool and also showing means on the tool forfixing the position of the said assembly in relation to the dies so thatthe im- 2 pressions or "bites in the assembly will bear a fixed andpredetermined relation to certain parts of the said assembly, asillustrated in Fig. 12,

Fig. 12 isa side view of Fig. 11 looking in the direction of the arrowshown in Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line l3l3 of Fig. 14,

Fig. 13A is an end view of wing 5| showing slot 63 therein, I

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modification of thetool parts adapting it to operate on an assembly where the connectorsleeve terminates in a flat ear,

Fig. 15 is a detail view of the die holder per se,

Fig. 15A is a view on line ISA-15A of Fig. 15,

Fig. 16 is a view showing the die holder and ring member, and a handlememberjoined to the ring member,

Fig. 17 is aside view showing separately a housing member for the dieholder and ring member anda handle member attached to said housing,

Fig. 17A'is a view on line l'lA -l 1A of Fig. 17,

Fig.- 18 is a top view of the member shown in Fig. 17, looking in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 17,

Fig. 19 shows a die for performing the crimping operation, and

Fig. 19A is a view of the die as shown in Fig. 19, rotated through anangle of ninety degrees.

Like parts are shown by like numerals. 7

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, the connector I has a sleeve portion 5 havingwalls 2 defining a socket 3 extending axially into the connector; thesewalls have thick and thin portions meeting at a shoulder 4. The thinportions have outer edgeportions 6. As insulated cable 1 has a strand ormultiplicity of strands 8 covered with insulation 9 which extends intothe socket about to the shoulder 4, the remaining part of the cablebeing bare. The connector may have an end portion Ii bevelled as shownor otherwise shaped to adapt it to fit into a desired socket.

In making the finished connector assembly, the parts arranged as shownin Fig. 1 are subjected to the action of a crimping tool hereinafter tobe described. A first series of slots l3, spaced about the periphery andaxially spaced from the edges are formed. The metal adjacent said slotsis in effect cold-formed or cold-welded and locked to the bare portionof the connector.- At the same time, metal is deformed at the edges ofthe sleeve by the formation of a corresponding second series of slotsI4. Here the metal is cold-formed or deformed not only radially but alsoaxially and this deformation has the function-of, in,

effect, molding the insulation to form an effective seal, that is, theinsulation ,is forced into and fills the spaces l5 between the barestrand and the sleeve as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

There is thus obtained a joint in which the cable strand becomes lockedto the sleeve in substantially integral union therewith and in which aninsulating seal is'provided, from the cable insulation, which seal-barsthe ingress of moisture or other corroding agents into the joint.

There will now be described a tool designed, intended and constructed tosimultaneously perform a plurality of functions and to produce, in oneoperation, the improved connector assembly above described.

The die 29 for performing the crimping is shown in various figures, seefor example Fig. 9. In the tool for performing the crimping operation,a. plurality or series of these dies are carried in a die holder 2|.This is a cylindrical member having plane top and bottom surfaces 22,23, a cylindrical outside surface and a cylindrical bore 25 extendingaxially through the die holder from one plane surface to the other. Aseries of ports 21, one for each die, is formed in the die holder, eachport extending from the axial bore to the outside cylindrical surfaceand having a restricted flange portion forming a shoulder or seat 28 toretain a spring 29 between said shoulder and the enlarged head 30 of thedie, which spring normally biases the die for radial movement away fromthe central bore and in engagement with cam surfaces or stop meansformed in the ring.

The ring has bearing surfaces 31 engaging the die holder, cam surfaces38 engaging the die heads and recesses 39 which act as stops. The camsurfaces extend from the recesses to the bearing surfaces and are formedso as to provide the die members with a desired range of degree ofthrust upon relative rotation of the die holder and ring. The particulardegree of thrust within this range is governed by the size of theconnector assembly which is inserted in the bore and held in operativerelation to the dies as hereinafter more fully described. In Fig. 9 theangular extent of the cam and bearing surfaces are indicated by lettersC and B, respectively.

Th drawing shows a specific embodiment of means for effecting relativemovement of the ring and die holder as well as means to limit thismovement in one direction. In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 to 10, the ring 36 isintegrally joined to a handle member 43 and the die holder 2| isdemountably joined to a similar handle member 44. by means of studs 45having heads 46 and threaded parts 48 engaging nuts 41. The handlemember includes wing portions spaced from each other and providing ahousing 5| for the ring 36 and die holder 2|. This handle member 44 maybe stamped from a sheet of steel to provide a strip with terminal earmembers or wings 50 sepa rated by a slot and then the longitudinal edgesof the strip and said ear members may be bent transversely to the planeof the strip to form said housing 5| and handle member 44. In each ofthe wings a hole 52 is formed aligned with the bore of the die holder topermit insertion and positioning of the connector assembly. The insideedges 53 of the hole (note Figs. 17A, 8 and 9) form a stop to engageashoulder 54 of the connector permitting the remaining smaller diameterportion of the connector to passthrough and positioning the connectorassembly so that the dies will engage it at the proper places, longi- 4tudinally of the connector sleeve. In some cases it is also necessary tospot the slots to be formed in the connector, not only longitudinallybut also radially thereof, in relation to a special configuration of thefree end of the connector.

In that case a special socket member 55 (note Fig. 11) is provided onthe housing 5|, said member having walls 51 defining a socket 55 intowhich the bevelled or otherwise shaped connector end fits and is heldagainst turning (note Figs. 11 and 12) in a position which determinesthe longitudinally and radially spaced positions of the slots [2, itformed by the crimping, locking and sealing operations.

In some cases the free end 55 of the connector instead of beinggenerally cylindrical, as in Figs. 1 and 2, has a fiat ear portion 52joined to the cylindrical portion (note Figs. 13, 13A'and 14). In thatcase a slot 63 is provided in both wings of the housing member 5! andaligned with a slot 64 in the die holder, said slot being spaced fromthe ports carrying the dies. The edge or shoulder 55 of theeylindrical'part of the connector then bears against the inside edges 55of the slot in one of the wings. The said slot and edges thereof thusprovide a stop and positioning means holdin the connector inpredetermined position in relation to the dies.

In accordance with the invention, the housing member 5| is providedgenerically with means to receive and properly position a connectorhaving any desired configuration of the connector end, and the dieholder may be similarly provided with means, cooperating with said meanscarried by the housing, to permit the insertion therethrough of saidconnector end.

The parts of the device may be made of heat treated steel. Prior tohardening the handle or equivalent members, the wings 50 may be benttoward each other (note Fig. 18). Then these wings may be sprung apartwhen the die holder 2| and ring member 36 are assembled within thehousing 5|. The resulting bias of the wings toward each other aids inkeeping the die holder aligned with the ring member,

The device may be and preferably is provided with means limiting theextent of radial thrust of the die members toward the bore in the dieholder. As shown in the drawings the handle 54 carries a sliding stopmember including a strip H positioned for sliding movement between theside walls 12. This strip H has an upstanding stop 13 adapted to engageany one of a plurality of notches 14 in the handle member 43, each notchcorresponding to a given size of connector which in turn corresponds tothe size or gauge of the cable. The strip H may be secured in anydesired position by a threaded stud having a milled head 16 and carriedby a bridge 11.

Figs. 5 to 6A show hand-operated devices and Figs. 7 to 10 devices which'may be power operated. The die holder may be fixed and the ring memberrotated or vice versa, or both die holder and ring member may besimultaneously rotated.

Figs. 5, 7 and 8 show the ring and die holder in one position of limitedrelative movement in which the dies are fully retracted into theirres'pective ports, the die heads being stopped by the shoulders or stops40 which partly define the recesses 39. In that position the parts areready to receive the connector assembly, e. g., in the partly assembledform illustrated in Fig. 1. The said assembly is then inserted in thebore in proper position as indicated in Figs. 8, 10, 13 and 14 and thedie holder 2| and ring 35 are given a relative I movement to apredeterminedlimit as indicated in Figs. 6 and 9, thus forcing the diesinto the bore by engagement of the cam surfaces 38 with the die heads30, in order to produce the crimping, locking and sealing operations andto obtain a locked and sealed connector assembly as illustrated in Figs.2, 3 and 4.

It will be noted that each die head 30 is trun-. cated or bevelled oneach side and that it is the slightly rounded edge 82 formed by theintersection of the truncated surfaces 80, 8| which rides on the camsurfaces 38. The truncations are such as to provide adequate clearanceand movement of the die heads and the height 83 on one side of the head30 is greater than the height 84 on the other side, 88 being thepartwhich engages the shoulder or stop 40.

From the end of the body portion (of the die) a tongue 88 extends lyingsubstantially in the same plane as the edge or'ridge 82. :The tongue isshaped to provide the teeth 81, 88 adapted to form the longitudinallyspaced slots illustrated in Figs. 2, 2A, 3 and 4.

In practicing the method of the invention, the cable is inserted intothe connector until the end of the insulation abuts the shoulder. Thenthe sleeve is crimped at a first series of points (four shown in thedrawings) spaced equidistant about the periphery of the sleeve 5 andaxially spaced from the edges 6, thereby forcing portions of the sleeveinto locking joi'nder or union with the cable and providing firmmechanical and electrical connection. The edges 8 are also crimped asdescribed. It is this latter crimping action which forces the insulationinto all interstices between the sleeve and cable to form a pressureseal.

What is claimed is:

A tool for making an electrical connector comprising a cylindrical dieholder having cylindrical outside walls, topand bottom plane surfacesand cylindrical inside walls defining a cylindrical bore extendingaxially through said die holder from one plane surface to the other, aplurality of ports extending radially from the outside cylindricalsurface of said die holder to the bore thereof,

each port being defined by cylindrical walls having an enlarged portionand a constricted portion and a shoulder at the junction of saidportions;

a die member, having a cylindrical die portion and an enlarged headportion mounted in each member coaxially therewith, the ring memberhaving interior bearing surfaces engaging the outside cylindricalsurfaces of the die holder; means to effect radial movement of said diemembers toward the bore of the die holder, said means comprising anelongated arm having a flared portion integral with and merging intosaid rin member, and a second elongated arm having a flared portionterminating in laterally spaced wing portions demountably secured tosaid die holder and providing a housing for the ring member and dieholder; the ring member having interior wall portions defining recessesto receive the head portions of said die members and the ring memberalso having interior cam surfaces extending from the above-mentionedbearing surfaces to said recesses, said cam surfaces being adapted toeffect radial movement of said die members toward the of said ports; aspring encompassing each of said confined between and die members, saidspringbeing said shoulder and said enlarged head portion normallybiasing said die members radially away from the bore of the die holder;a ring member,

the die holder mounted within said ring UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName, Date 201,985 Morse Apr. 2, 1878 2,002,220 Douglas May 21, 19352,002,502 Douglas May 28, 1985 2,079,498 Douglas May 4, 1937' 2,144,231Schwarz Jan. 1'7, 1939 2,169,570 Ronci Aug. 15, 1939 Y 2,182,663 Eby etal. Dec. 5, 1939 2,226,849 Douglass a Dec. 31, 1940.

bore of the die holder when the above-mentioned elongated arms are movedtoward each other; means normallybiasing said die members away from thebore of the die holder and normally causing the above-mentionedelongated arms to move away from each other, said means comprising theabove-mentioned spring encompassing each of said die members, theabove-mentioned recesses providing stops to limit said movement; andmeans providing selectively controlled radial movements of said diemembers toward the-axis of the bore of the die holder to accommodateconnectors of different sizes said means comprising a stop carried byone of the above-mentioned elongated arms, said stop having a portionslideably adjustable longitudinally of said one arm and an upstandingportion extending transversely of said arms and adapted'to engage saidother arm at predetermined points along the flared portion thereof.

' FRITZ DEUSCHLE.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Penfold et a1. Apr. 21, 1942

